The Wisdom of Psychopaths audiobook cover - What Saints, Spies and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success

The Wisdom of Psychopaths

What Saints, Spies and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success

Kevin Dutton

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Psychology

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The Wisdom of Psychopaths
The Psychopathic Mindset+
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Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 9
According to the text, why are psychopaths often successful in high-level positions like executives or surgeons?
  • A. They possess a deep sense of empathy that allows them to instinctively understand and manipulate others.
  • B. They are often highly intelligent, charming, and lack paralyzing emotions like fear, shame, and guilt.
  • C. They are biologically predisposed to require less sleep, allowing them to work longer hours than average people.
  • D. They have a higher tolerance for physical pain, which translates to a higher tolerance for stressful work environments.
Question 2 of 9
How do psychopaths typically differ from non-psychopaths when faced with a moral dilemma, such as the 'trolley problem'?
  • A. Psychopaths refuse to make a choice because they do not care about the outcome of either scenario.
  • B. Psychopaths experience intense emotional distress but force themselves to take action anyway.
  • C. Psychopaths make purely rational, utilitarian decisions without hesitation or emotional interference.
  • D. Psychopaths always choose the option that causes the most harm, regardless of the logical benefit.
Question 3 of 9
What drives psychopaths to take immediate action rather than overthinking the potential consequences of a situation?
  • A. They have a low tolerance for boredom, live in the moment, and are not hindered by feelings of regret over past failures.
  • B. They are highly anxious and act quickly to relieve the internal stress caused by indecision.
  • C. They lack the cognitive ability to imagine future scenarios or understand cause and effect.
  • D. They are constantly trying to impress the people around them to maintain their charming facade.
Question 4 of 9
According to research mentioned in the text, what distinguishes successful executives with psychopathic traits from convicted criminal psychopaths?
  • A. Executives completely lack psychopathic traits, while criminals possess all of them in extreme measures.
  • B. Executives exhibit more 'positive' traits like charm and persuasiveness, while criminals display more antisocial traits like impulsiveness and physical violence.
  • C. Executives are motivated purely by a fear of failure, whereas criminals are motivated exclusively by financial gain.
  • D. Executives only develop psychopathic traits later in life, while criminals are born with a fully developed psychopathic profile.
Question 5 of 9
What psychological state do psychopaths naturally share with Zen masters?
  • A. A state of chronic hyper-vigilance that keeps them constantly aware of their surroundings.
  • B. A state of deep remorse that drives them to seek spiritual perfection.
  • C. The ability to experience intense, overwhelming empathy for all living beings.
  • D. 'Flow,' or the ability to focus entirely on the present moment without being distracted by thoughts or emotions.
Question 6 of 9
In the experiment involving 'fear sweat,' how did the psychopaths react compared to the non-psychopaths?
  • A. They became highly aggressive toward the researchers administering the test.
  • B. They were unaffected by the fear sweat and continued to take big risks.
  • C. They played the game much more conservatively than the non-psychopaths.
  • D. They lost their ability to concentrate and failed the decision-making task completely.
Question 7 of 9
According to the text, how are psychopathic traits manifesting in younger generations (referred to as 'Generation Me')?
  • A. Young people are becoming hyper-sensitive and overly empathetic toward others due to internet exposure.
  • B. There is a decrease in narcissism as young people actively reject the reckless behavior of modern pop stars.
  • C. Compassion has consistently sunk, while traits like egocentrism and narcissism have increased.
  • D. Young people are completely rejecting the internet and virtual friendships to avoid psychopathic influences.
Question 8 of 9
What is the key difference between a 'functional' psychopath (like a successful lawyer) and a 'criminal' psychopath?
  • A. Functional psychopaths can turn their psychopathic traits on and off depending on the situation.
  • B. Functional psychopaths experience deep guilt after using their traits to get ahead in their careers.
  • C. Criminal psychopaths are highly charming, while functional psychopaths are usually socially awkward.
  • D. Criminal psychopaths only commit crimes by accident, whereas functional psychopaths plan them carefully.
Question 9 of 9
What happened when the author of the book underwent transcranial magnetic stimulation to temporarily simulate a psychopath's brain activity?
  • A. He felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and remorse for his past actions.
  • B. He felt more self-confident, less worried, and actually smiled at violent images that had previously disgusted him.
  • C. He experienced intense fear and paranoia that lasted for several hours after the procedure.
  • D. He temporarily lost his ability to speak clearly and could not make rational, utilitarian decisions.

The Wisdom of Psychopaths — Full Chapter Overview

The Wisdom of Psychopaths Summary & Overview

Not all psychopaths are locked away in maximum-security prisons and mental hospitals. Many of them live among us, in the midst of society. Indeed, a great number of highly successful political and financial leaders exhibit psychopathic traits. This book investigates why they are so successful, what makes them different from psychopathic criminals and what all of us can learn from them.

 

Who Should Listen to The Wisdom of Psychopaths?

  • Anyone with a general interest in psychology, criminology or popular science
  • Anyone who wants to find out what we can learn from psychopaths and which of their traits could be useful in our professional lives

About the Author: Kevin Dutton

Kevin Dutton is a researcher at the Calleva Research Centre for Evolution and Human Science in Oxford. Dutton claims that his own father was a psychopath – one of the reasons he’s so interested in this particular field. In addition to The Wisdom of Psychopaths (2012), he has also published other bestsellers and writes for well-known publications like the Guardian and Psychology Today.

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